So i just found a Teekan colony ship and can use it to colonize a desert planet. It just so happens I have found a desert planet with Korrabian Spice on it, but it is only 3% quality. The Ancient Guardians are already mining the spice, so I can't mine it, however I can colonize the planet taking it right out from under them

Question is, is it worth it? Will the cost of having a colony on a 3% quality planet outweigh the benefit of the spice? This is early game with very harsh starting conditions, money is tight, so a right or wrong decision here could make or break the Empire

< Message edited by WoodMan -- 11/28/2011 10:04:07 PM >

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"My body may be confined to this chair, but my mind is free to explore the universe" - Stephen Hawking

No it will not cripple you as much as some fleet ships to defend it or the colony ship in the long run and if you can trade it, it will make itself worth it. Of course if your only trading partner is the guardians... wait a little.

People been complaining since the original DW, I still have never had a fuel shortage... ever.

The planet is less than a sector away from my homeworld, and is in the same sector as the Ackdarian and Ancient Guardians homeworlds. I have gas stations with fuel onboard in all sectors surrounding my homeworld aswell as in my homeworld sector.

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"My body may be confined to this chair, but my mind is free to explore the universe" - Stephen Hawking

People been complaining since the original DW, I still have never had a fuel shortage... ever.

The planet is less than a sector away from my homeworld, and is in the same sector as the Ackdarian and Ancient Guardians homeworlds. I have gas stations with fuel onboard in all sectors surrounding my homeworld aswell as in my homeworld sector.

Then you have not played a long game on a large galaxy because the A.I does not have enough fuel to refuel your freighters and they crawl home.

A 30% world in the collabrative AAR seemed to cost some k butbelow 10k. Therefore it might get around 10k yes. You should either raise taxes or get other sources. Alternativley get a "stock" of money to survive the time until you can trade it.

Sent the colony ship to a 97% quality Desert world instead. The Korrabian Spice falls within my territory, so its unlikely anyone else will end up colonizing that world. I will grab it later, or even see if I can buy the base from the Guardians, but I doubt that.

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"My body may be confined to this chair, but my mind is free to explore the universe" - Stephen Hawking

In the collaborative AAR, Das colonized the Korrabian Spice world which has 0 percent quality and a max population of 20 million. He won't get much in taxes at all but the Spice alone has given his empire happiness benefit as well as diplomatic benefits. If it wasn't for the spice, no way he would of colonize it.

We urgently need some terraforming/quality improvement facilities in DW! (if there aren`t any already in which case i`m sorry). In my games there are lots of low-quality planets (below 50%) that i`m forced to settle either to secure resources or to widen my borders.

Colonize a planet with spice? It is obvious for me. The benefit of the spice is huge, and I don't think I have ever seen a colony with revenue worse than -1k. And what is 1k? The maintenance of a frigate?

Of course things have changed with borders, but if it outside or has a foreign mine? Absolute top priority to get colonized. The same for planets with the fancy empire wide bonuses.

And for using low quality colonies to expand borders? I love it, it adds another level of strategy.

I think I'd have to agree with the general consensus here that it may bring negative income at first but the trading and happiness benefits it brings in the long run outweigh the cost plus its also a good diplomacy boost.